RTD Passenger Concerned After Witnessing 2 Separate Fights On Buses

DENVER (CBS4) – Some passengers say they have serious questions about security after a fight broke out on a Regional Transportation District bus.

RTD says is it has several hidden security measures in place. Nearly every bus has a video camera on board, and all light rail trains do as well. There are off duty police officers that help with patrols, but also plain-clothed officers on buses and trains. They’re in place to check fares, but they are still police officers.

A man who asked to CBS4 to remain anonymous has only begun riding RTD buses in the past seven months due to hard economic times. He took video of a fight that he says is the second fight he’s seen since he’s begun taking that bus and says it’s enough to cause him concern.

(Editor’s Note: In the video report below it states that since 2009, out of 330 million trips there were 16 fights. The report should state there were 16 cases of aggravated assault, which is a felony)

In the video a man in blue fights with two other men, moving from one door to the next, from the outside to the inside. The bus driver remains stopped in a safe spot, as instructed by RTD. Drivers are also told to call police when needed. Although there wasn’t a police officer on the bus at the time, RTD has a police force that’s always on duty.

“We do have undercover and uniformed police officers from Aurora and Denver police, as well as RTD security officers, who ride our routes and patrol our facilities, including the route 15 where the video was supposedly shot,” Scott Reed with RTD said in a statement. “The route 15 is one of the 10 busiest bus routes in the country, and we do patrol that and all of our routes as much as our resources permit and conditions demand.”

RTD has a 24-hour command center that monitors 1,000 cameras mounted at transit stations. About 5,000 incidents caught on tape are investigated every year.

All trains have video feeds and nearly all buses also have video cameras. But what has been an incredible crime fighting tool is the passengers themselves. They can text the command center about suspicious people or fights. Last year it received 1,400 texts — 900 of those resulted in an arrest at the next bus or train stop thanks to concerned riders.

RTD reports that aggravated assaults or fights on board buses and light rail trains aren’t common. A recent records search shows that since 2009, out of 330 million trips there were 16 case of aggravated assault, which is felony.

RTD has a number passengers can call or text if they see anything suspicious on a bus or light rail train. Visit theRTD website for more information.